Extracting apparatus

ABSTRACT

A loading mechanism holds at least one extracting cartridge provided with a filter member, at least one waste liquid vessel for accommodating a discharged liquid of a sample liquid and a discharged liquid of a washing liquid, which discharged liquids have been discharged from the extracting cartridge, and at least one recovery vessel for accommodating a recovery liquid, which contains a recovered nucleic acid and has been discharged from the extracting cartridge. A pressurized air supplying mechanism introduces pressurized air into the extracting cartridge. A liquid injecting mechanism injects each of the washing liquid and the recovery liquid into the extracting cartridge.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a divisional of U.S. application Ser. No. 10/920,447filed on Aug. 18, 2004, which claims priority from Japanese PatentApplications 2003-295084, filed Aug. 19, 2003-295085, filed Aug. 19,2003 and 2003-357674, filed Oct. 17, 2003 in the Japanese Patent Office,the entirety of which are incorporated herein by reference

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to an extracting apparatus for extracting apredetermined substance such as a nucleic acid from a sample liquid byuse of at least one extracting cartridge provided with a filter member.

2. Description of the Related Art

As extracting methods, for example in techniques for extracting anucleic acid, a centrifugal technique, a technique utilizing magneticbeads, a technique utilizing a filter, and the like, have heretoforebeen known. acid extracting apparatus utilizing filters. With theproposed nucleic acid extracting apparatus, a plurality of filter tubes,each of which accommodates a filter therein, are set on a rack, andsample liquids are respectively injected into the filter tubes. Also, aregion around a bottom of the rack is closed with an air chamber via asealing material, and a pressure within the air chamber is reduced.Areas within all of the filter tubes are thus simultaneously subjectedto suction from discharging sides of the filter tubes, and the sampleliquids contained in the filter tubes are thus caused to pass throughthe filters of the filter tubes. Nucleic acids contained in the sampleliquids are thus adsorbed to the filters of the filter tubes.Thereafter, a washing liquid and an eluting liquid are successivelyinjected into the filter tubes and subjected to suction at a reducedpressure. The nucleic acids having been adsorbed to the filters of thefilter tubes are thus washed with the washing liquid and eluted from thefilters. (The aforesaid nucleic acid extracting apparatus utilizingfilters is described in, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,645,723.)

As described above, a separation purification method of a nucleic acid,comprising the step of using a predetermined filter for separating andrecovering the sample liquid after the nucleic acid contained in thesample liquid is adsorbed to the filter, is disclosed in U.S. patentlaid-open No. 20030170664. Further, a method for extracting by injectingthe sample liquid into the separation purification unit including thefilter and pressurizing the sample liquid is adopted.

However, the conventional nucleic acid extracting apparatus describedabove has the problems in that, in cases where the nucleic acidextracting apparatus has a large size so as to be appropriate foranalyses of large amounts of samples and in cases where the number ofthe samples is small, and the frequency of analyses is low, the cost ofthe nucleic acid extracting apparatus is not capable of being kept low,and the processing efficiency is not capable of being kept high.

Also, as for nucleic acid extracting apparatuses, it is desired that theprocessing is capable of being performed quickly and efficiently withoutany contamination occurring, and that the sizes of the nucleic acidextracting apparatuses are capable of being kept small. However, theproblems described below occur with the nucleic acid extractingapparatus proposed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,645,723.

Specifically, with a nucleic acid extracting apparatus, in which theareas within all of the filter tubes are simultaneously subjected tosuction as in the cases of the nucleic acid extracting apparatusproposed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,645,723, in cases where the sample liquidshave different characteristics as in the cases of sampled whole blood,at the time at which the suction with respect to a certain filter tubeis completed, and the resistance against the suction with respect to thecertain filter tube disappears, the effect of the reduced pressureacting upon the other filter tubes becomes small. As a result, theproblems often occur in that the processing on sample liquids having acomparatively high viscosity is not capable of being completed. In caseswhere the capacity of the reduced pressure is increased in order toprevent the aforesaid problems from occurring, the size of the nucleicacid extracting apparatus is not capable of being kept small. Also, dueto a large volume of the reduced pressure, a long time is required toobtain the reduced pressure. Further, it is not always possible todetect the completion of the discharging of all of the sample liquids.Therefore, the setting time is not capable of being kept short, and theprocessing efficiency is not capable of being enhanced. Furthermore, theproblems occur in that a sample liquid having a low viscosity isvigorously discharged from the filter tube, and a bubble-like splash ofthe sample liquid clings to an adjacent filter tube and an adjacent areaof the rack and causes contamination to occur. As a result, the accuracyof the analysis is not capable of being kept high.

A method for recovering the liquid by adsorbing the nucleic acid to thefilter by pressurization is disclosed in U.S. patent laid-open No.20030170664. However, a specific extracting apparatus is not disclosed.In the extracting apparatus which adopts the pressurization method,problems will arise in its pressurization control method. Problems willalso arise in contamination due to scattering of the discharged liquidduring pressurization, reliability in sealing, or the like.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The primary object of the present invention is to provide an extractingapparatus, which is capable of automatically performing quick andefficient extraction of a nucleic acid from a sample liquid and iscapable of being kept small in size.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an extractingapparatus, wherein problems with regard to contamination are capable ofbeing prevented from occurring, and extraction accuracy is capable ofbeing kept high.

The present invention provides an extracting apparatus for performing anextracting operation by use of at least one extracting cartridgeprovided with a filter member, the extracting operation comprising:

injecting a sample liquid, which contains a predetermined substance,into the extracting cartridge,

pressurizing an area within the extracting cartridge into which thesample liquid has been injected, the sample liquid being thereby causedto pass through the filter member of the extracting cartridge underpressure, the predetermined substance contained in the sample liquidbeing thus adsorbed to the filter member of the extracting cartridge,and

recovering an extracted component together with the recovery liquid,

the apparatus comprising:

i) a loading mechanism for holding the at least one extractingcartridge, at least one waste liquid vessel for accommodating adischarged liquid of the sample liquid and at least one recovery vesselfor accommodating the recovery liquid, which contains the extractedcomponent,

ii) a pressurized air supplying mechanism for introducing pressurizedair into the at least one extracting cartridge, and

iii) a liquid injecting mechanism for injecting each of the recoveryliquid into the at least one extracting cartridge.

The extracting apparatus in accordance with the present invention shouldpreferably be modified such that the loading mechanism comprises:

a) a stand, which is loaded on an apparatus main body,

b) a cartridge holder, which is supported for vertical movement by thestand and holds the at least one extracting cartridge, and

c) a vessel holder, which holds the at least one waste liquid vessel andthe at least one recovery vessel at positions below the cartridge holdersuch that the position of the at least one waste liquid vessel withrespect to the at least one extracting cartridge and the position of theat least one recovery vessel with respect to the at least one extractingcartridge are capable of being changed over.

Also, the extracting apparatus in accordance with the present inventionshould preferably be modified such that the pressurized air supplyingmechanism comprises:

a) at least one air nozzle, which jets out pressurized air from a bottomend,

b) a pressurizing head, which supports the at least one air nozzle andvertically moves the at least one air nozzle with respect to the atleast one extracting cartridge having been held by the cartridge holder,and

c) position adjusting means, which is fitted to the pressurizing headand adjusts the position of the at least one extracting cartridge in arack of the loading mechanism.

Further, the extracting apparatus in accordance with the presentinvention should preferably be modified such that the liquid injectingmechanism comprises:

a) a recovery liquid injecting nozzle, from which the recovery liquid isinjected into the at least one extracting cartridge,

b) a nozzle moving base, which holds the recovery liquid injectingnozzle and is capable of moving above the at least one extractingcartridge having been held by the loading mechanism, and

c) a recovery liquid supplying pump, which sucks up the recovery liquidfrom a recovery liquid bottle that accommodates the recovery liquidtherein, and which supplies the recovery liquid into the recovery liquidinjecting nozzle.

Furthermore, the extracting apparatus in accordance with the presentinvention should preferably be modified such that, the loading mechanismcomprises:

-   -   a) a stand, which is loaded on an apparatus main body,    -   b) a cartridge holder, which is supported for vertical movement        by the stand and holds the at least one extracting cartridge,        and    -   c) a vessel holder, which holds the at least one waste liquid        vessel and the at least one recovery vessel at positions below        the cartridge holder such that the position of the at least one        waste liquid vessel with respect to the at least one extracting        cartridge and the position of the at least one recovery vessel        with respect to the at least one extracting cartridge are        capable of being changed over,

the pressurized air supplying mechanism comprises:

-   -   a) at least one air nozzle, which jets out pressurized air from        a bottom end,    -   b) a pressurizing head, which supports the at least one air        nozzle and vertically moves the at least one air nozzle with        respect to the at least one extracting cartridge having been        held by the cartridge holder, and    -   c) position adjusting means, which is fitted to the pressurizing        head and adjusts the position of the at least one extracting        cartridge in a rack of the loading mechanism, and

the liquid injecting mechanism comprises:

-   -   a) a recovery liquid injecting nozzle, from which the recovery        liquid is injected into the at least one extracting cartridge,    -   b) a nozzle moving base, which holds the recovery liquid        injecting nozzle and is capable of moving above the at least one        extracting cartridge having been held by the loading mechanism,        and    -   c) a recovery liquid supplying pump, which sucks up the recovery        liquid from a recovery liquid bottle that accommodates the        recovery liquid therein, and which supplies the recovery liquid        into the recovery liquid injecting nozzle.

Furthermore, the extracting apparatus in accordance with the presentinvention should preferably be modified such that, the apparatuscomprises a scattering prevention means for preventing scattering of thedischarged liquid from a discharge bottom end of the extractingcartridge at the time at which the pressurized air is to be suppliedinto the at least one extracting cartridge in order to discharge thedischarged liquid from the at least one extracting cartridge into the atleast one waste liquid vessel.

Furthermore, the extracting apparatus in accordance with the presentinvention should preferably be modified such that, at the time at whichthe pressurized air is to be supplied into the at least one extractingcartridge in order to discharge the discharged liquid from the at leastone extracting cartridge into the at least one waste liquid vessel, adischarging bottom end of the at least one extracting cartridge isinserted by a predetermined length into the at least one waste liquidvessel to prevent scattering of the discharged liquid.

Also, the extracting apparatus in accordance with the present inventionshould preferably be modified such that, at the time at which the sampleliquid or the washing liquid is to be injected into the at least oneextracting cartridge, the at least one extracting cartridge is locatedjust above the at least one waste liquid vessel, and/or

at the time at which the recovery liquid is to be injected into the atleast one extracting cartridge, the at least one extracting cartridge islocated just above the at least one recovery vessel.

Further, the extracting apparatus in accordance with the presentinvention should preferably be modified such that the loading mechanismcomprises:

-   -   a) a cartridge holder, which holds the at least one extracting        cartridge and is capable of moving vertically, and    -   b) a vessel holder, which holds the at least one waste liquid        vessel and the at least one recovery vessel at positions below        the cartridge holder such that the position of the at least one        waste liquid vessel with respect to the at least one extracting        cartridge and the position of the at least one recovery vessel        with respect to the at least one extracting cartridge are        capable of being changed over,

the pressurized air supplying mechanism comprises:

-   -   a) a pressurizing head for vertically moving at least one air        nozzle, which jets out pressurized air from a bottom end, and    -   b) push pins, which are fitted to the pressurizing head and are        capable of coming into abutment with the cartridge holder of the        loading mechanism, and

the pressurized air supplying mechanism operates such that:

-   -   at the time at which the pressurized air is to be supplied into        the at least one extracting cartridge, the push pins come into        abutment with the cartridge holder of the loading mechanism in        accordance with a downward movement of the pressurizing head in        order to regulate the position of the cartridge holder of the        loading mechanism and in order to push the cartridge holder, and        thereafter the at least one air nozzle is pushed against the at        least one extracting cartridge, which has been held by the        cartridge holder.

Furthermore, the extracting apparatus in accordance with the presentinvention should preferably be modified such that the processing stepconcerning the injection of the liquid into the at least one extractingcartridge, which processing step is performed after the adsorptionprocessing of the sample liquid, is performed while the dischargingbottom end of the at least one extracting cartridge is being kept in thestate in which the discharging bottom end of the at least one extractingcartridge is inserted into the at least one waste liquid vessel.

Also, the predetermined substance is a nucleic acid and the filtermember of the at least one extracting cartridge should preferably beconstituted of a porous film capable of adsorbing the nucleic acid withan interaction other than interactions in which an ionic bond takespart. For example, the filter member of the at least one extractingcartridge may be constituted of a porous film of an organic materialhaving a hydroxyl group. Alternatively, the filter member of the atleast one extracting cartridge may be constituted of a porous film of amixture of acetylcelluloses having different acetyl values. As anotheralternative, the filter member of the at least one extracting cartridgemay be constituted of a porous film of a regenerated cellulose. As afurther alternative, the filter member of the at least one extractingcartridge may be constituted of a porous film of an organic materialobtained from saponification of a mixture of acetylcelluloses havingdifferent acetyl values. As a still further alternative, the filtermember of the at least one extracting cartridge may be constituted of aporous film of an inorganic material containing a silica compound. Insuch cases, the filter member may be, for example, a glass filter.

As described above, the extracting apparatus in accordance with thepresent invention comprises the loading mechanism for holding the atleast one extracting cartridge, the at least one waste liquid vessel,and the at least one recovery vessel. The extracting apparatus inaccordance with the present invention also comprises the pressurized airsupplying mechanism for introducing the pressurized air into the atleast one extracting cartridge, and the liquid injecting mechanism forinjecting each of the recovery liquid into the at least one extractingcartridge. The extracting apparatus in accordance with the presentinvention is capable of performing the extracting operation comprising:

injecting the sample liquid, which contains the predetermined substance,into the extracting cartridge provided with the filter member,

pressurizing the area within the extracting cartridge into which thesample liquid has been injected, the sample liquid being thereby causedto pass through the filter member of the extracting cartridge underpressure, the predetermined substance contained in the sample liquidbeing thus adsorbed to the filter member of the extracting cartridge,and

recovering an extracted component together with the recovery liquid.

The extracting apparatus in accordance with the present invention isthus capable of performing quick and efficient extraction of thepredetermined substance from the sample liquid and is capable of beingkept small in size.

The extracting apparatus in accordance with the present invention may bemodified such that the loading mechanism comprises: (a) the stand, whichis loaded on the apparatus main body, (b) the cartridge holder, which issupported for vertical movement by the stand and holds the at least oneextracting cartridge, and (c) the vessel holder, which holds the atleast one waste liquid vessel and the at least one recovery vessel atpositions below the cartridge holder such that the position of the atleast one waste liquid vessel with respect to the at least oneextracting cartridge and the position of the at least one recoveryvessel with respect to the at least one extracting cartridge are capableof being changed over. With the modification described above, thesetting of the extracting cartridge, the setting of the waste liquidvessel, the setting of the recovery vessel, and the changeover betweenthe waste liquid vessel and the recovery vessel are capable of beingperformed easily.

Also, the extracting apparatus in accordance with the present inventionmay be modified such that the pressurized air supplying mechanismcomprises: (a) the at least one air nozzle, which jets out thepressurized air from the bottom end, (b) the pressurizing head, whichsupports the at least one air nozzle and vertically moves the at leastone air nozzle with respect to the at least one extracting cartridgehaving been held by the cartridge holder, and (c) the position adjustingmeans, which is fitted to the pressurizing head and adjusts the positionof the at least one extracting cartridge in the rack of the loadingmechanism. With the modification described above, the supply of thepressurized air is capable of being performed reliably with the simplemechanism.

Further, the extracting apparatus in accordance with the presentinvention may be modified such that the liquid injecting mechanismcomprises: (a) the recovery liquid injecting nozzle, from which therecovery liquid is injected into the at least one extracting cartridge,(b) the nozzle moving base, which holds the recovery liquid injectingnozzle and is capable of moving above the at least one extractingcartridge having been held by the loading mechanism, and (c) therecovery liquid supplying pump, which sucks up the recovery liquid fromthe recovery liquid bottle that accommodates the recovery liquidtherein, and which supplies the recovery liquid into the recovery liquidinjecting nozzle. With the modification described above, the injectionof the injection of the recovery liquid is capable of being performedsuccessively with the simple mechanism.

Furthermore, the extracting apparatus in accordance with the presentinvention may be modified such that, at the time at which thepressurized air is to be supplied into the at least one extractingcartridge in order to discharge the discharge from the at least oneextracting cartridge into the at least one waste liquid vessel, thedischarging bottom end of the at least one extracting cartridge isinserted by the predetermined length into the at least one waste liquidvessel.

With the modification described above, scattering of the dischargedliquid is capable of being prevented from occurring at the time of thepressurization. Also, in cases where the extraction processing isperformed for a plurality of sample liquids and in cases wherecontinuous processing is performed, the problems with regard to thecontamination due to clinging and inclusion of different sample liquidconstituents are capable of being prevented from occurring, and theextraction accuracy is capable of being kept high.

Also, the extracting apparatus in accordance with the present inventionmay be modified such that, at the time at which the sample liquid is tobe injected into the at least one extracting cartridge, the at least oneextracting cartridge is located just above the at least one waste liquidvessel.

With the modification described above, during the liquid injection andduring other processing steps, the liquid dropping from the extractingcartridge is capable of being reliably accommodated within the wasteliquid vessel. Therefore, contamination of the apparatus is capable ofbeing prevented from occurring. Also, the liquid dropping from theextracting cartridge is capable of being prevented from clinging to thenext extracting cartridge or the next recovery vessel, and the problemswith regard to the contamination are thus capable of being preventedfrom occurring.

Further, the extracting apparatus in accordance with the presentinvention may be modified such that the pressurized air supplyingmechanism comprises: (a) the pressurizing head for vertically moving atleast one air nozzle, which jets out pressurized air from the bottomend, and (b) the push pins, which are fitted to the pressurizing headand are capable of coming into abutment with the cartridge holder of theloading mechanism, and

the pressurized air supplying mechanism operates such that:

at the time at which the pressurized air is to be supplied into the atleast one extracting cartridge, the push pins come into abutment withthe cartridge holder of the loading mechanism in accordance with thedownward movement of the pressurizing head in order to regulate theposition of the cartridge holder of the loading mechanism and in orderto push the cartridge holder, and thereafter the at least one air nozzleis pushed against the at least one extracting cartridge, which has beenheld by the cartridge holder.

With the modification described above, the air nozzle is capable ofbeing pushed at an accurate position against the extracting cartridge,and the sealed state of the extracting cartridge is capable of beingobtained reliably. Therefore, the supply of the pressurized air iscapable of being performed reliably.

Furthermore, the extracting apparatus in accordance with the presentinvention may be modified such that the processing step, which isperformed after the adsorption processing of the sample liquid, isperformed while the discharging bottom end of the at least oneextracting cartridge is being kept in the state in which the dischargingbottom end of the at least one extracting cartridge is inserted into theat least one waste liquid vessel. With the modification described above,during the processing step, the extracting cartridge does not undergovertical movement with respect to the waste liquid vessel. Therefore,the problems are capable of being reliably prevented from occurring inthat the liquid discharged from the extracting cartridge leaks to theexterior of the waste liquid vessel.

Also, the predetermined substance is the nucleic acid and the filtermember of the at least one extracting cartridge may be constituted ofthe porous film capable of adsorbing the nucleic acid with aninteraction other than interactions in which the ionic bond takes part.In such cases, the adsorption and the recovery of the sample liquid fromthe sample liquid are capable of being performed appropriately.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of the nucleic acidextracting apparatus in accordance with the present invention with acover being removed,

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing mechanisms of the nucleic acidextracting apparatus of FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a rack of a loading mechanism,

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the rack of FIG. 3 in the state inwhich the rack is being used,

FIGS. 5A to 5G are flow diagrams showing an extracting operation,

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing an extracting cartridge, and

FIG. 7A illustrates another example of a discharged liquid scatteringprevention means,

FIG. 7B illustrates another example of a discharged liquid scatteringprevention means,

FIG. 7C illustrates another example of a discharged liquid scatteringprevention means, and

FIG. 7D illustrates another example of a discharged liquid scatteringprevention means.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The present invention will hereinbelow be described in further detailwith reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of the nucleic acidextracting apparatus in accordance with the present invention with acover being removed. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing mechanisms of thenucleic acid extracting apparatus of FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a perspectiveview showing a rack of a loading mechanism. FIG. 4 is a perspective viewshowing the rack of FIG. 3 in the state in which the rack is being used.FIGS. 5A to 5G are flow diagrams showing an extracting operation. FIG. 6is a perspective view showing an extracting cartridge.

A nucleic acid extracting apparatus 1 illustrated in FIG. 1 extracts anucleic acid from a sample liquid by use of an extracting cartridge (afilter cartridge) 11 illustrated in FIG. 6. As illustrated in FIG. 6,the extracting cartridge 11 comprises a tubular main body 11 a having anopening at its top end. The extracting cartridge 11 also comprises afilter member 11 b, which is held within the tubular main body 11 a andat a bottom of the tubular main body 11 a. Part of the tubular main body11 a, which part is lower than the filter member 11 b, is formed in afunnel-like shape. Also, a discharging bottom end 11 c, which has anozzle-like shape having a reduced diameter, protrudes by apredetermined length from a center region of the bottom of thefunnel-like part of the tubular main body 11 a. Further, verticallyextending protrusions 11 d, 11 d are formed on opposite sides of a sidewall of the tubular main body 11 a. As will be described later, a sampleliquid, a washing liquid, or a recovery liquid is injected through thetop opening of the tubular main body 11 a into the extracting cartridge11. Also, pressurized air is introduced through the top opening of thetubular main body 11 a into the extracting cartridge 11 in order tocause the sample liquid, the washing liquid, or the recovery liquid topass through the filter member 11 b and to discharge the liquid throughthe discharging bottom end 11 c into one of waste liquid vessels 12, 12,. . . or recovery vessels 13, 13, . . . , which will be described later.In the example of FIG. 6, the tubular main body 11 a comprises an upperhalf and a lower half, which are fitted to each other.

Basically, the nucleic acid extracting apparatus 1 performs theextraction of the nucleic acid with the extracting steps illustrated inFIGS. 5A to 5G. Specifically, firstly, in the step illustrated in FIG.5A, a sample liquid S containing the nucleic acid, which sample liquid Shas been subjected to dissolution processing, is injected into theextracting cartridge 11, which is located above the corresponding wasteliquid vessel 12. Thereafter, in the step illustrated in FIG. 5B, thepressurized air is introduced into the extracting cartridge 11, and thearea within the extracting cartridge 11 is thus pressurized. As aresult, the sample liquid S is caused to pass through the filter member11 b of the extracting cartridge 11 under pressure, and the nucleic acidcontained in the sample liquid S is adsorbed to the filter member 11 b.The liquid having passed through the filter member 11 b is dischargedinto the corresponding waste liquid vessel 12.

Thereafter, in the step illustrated in FIG. 5C, a washing liquid W isautomatically injected into the extracting cartridge 11. Also, in thestep illustrated in FIG. 5D, the pressurized air is introduced into theextracting cartridge 11, and the area within the extracting cartridge 11is thus pressurized. As a result, the washing liquid W is caused to passthrough the filter member 11 b of the extracting cartridge 11 underpressure. In this manner, impurities are removed by the washing liquid Wfrom the extracting cartridge 11, while the nucleic acid is being keptin the state in which the nucleic acid has been adsorbed to the filtermember 11 b. The washing liquid W having passed through the filtermember 11 b is discharged into the waste liquid vessel 12. The stepillustrated in FIG. 5C and the step illustrated in FIG. 5D may beiterated a plurality of times.

Thereafter, in the step illustrated in FIG. 5E, the waste liquid vessel12, which is located under the extracting cartridge 11, is replaced bythe recovery vessel 13. Also, in the step illustrated in FIG. 5F, arecovery liquid R is automatically injected into the extractingcartridge 11. Thereafter, in the step illustrated in FIG. 5G, thepressurized air is introduced into the extracting cartridge 11, and thearea within the extracting cartridge 11 is thus pressurized. As aresult, the recovery liquid R is caused to pass through the filtermember 11 b of the extracting cartridge 11 under pressure. In thismanner, the binding force between the filter member 11 b and the nucleicacid is weakened. The nucleic acid having been adsorbed to the filtermember 11 b of the extracting cartridge 11 is thus separated by therecovery liquid R from the filter member 11 b. The recovery liquid R,which now contains the nucleic acid, is discharged from the extractingcartridge 11 and recovered into the recovery vessel 13.

The filter member (the nucleic acid-adsorbing porous film) 11 b of theextracting cartridge 11 is constituted of the porous film capable ofadsorbing the nucleic acid with an interaction other than interactionsin which the ionic bond takes part. The filter member 11 b isconstituted such that the filter member 11 b keeps the adsorption of thenucleic acid during the washing with the washing liquid, and such thatthe filter member 11 b reduces the force of adsorption of the nucleicacid and releases the nucleic acid during the recovery of the nucleicacid with the recovery liquid. The filter member 11 b should preferablybe a porous film having a hydroxyl group as a hydrophilic group. In suchcases, the filter member 11 b may be a porous film constituted of aporous film material having the hydroxyl group by itself. Alternatively,the filter member 11 b may be a porous film obtained from a process, inwhich the material for the formation of the porous film is subjected totreatment or coating, and the hydroxyl group is thereby introduced intothe porous film material.

The material for the formation of the porous film may be an organicmaterial or an inorganic material. For easiness of the processing, thematerial for the formation of the porous film should preferably be anorganic material, such as an organic high-molecular weight material.Examples of the organic materials for the formation of the porous filminclude a nylon, a polysulfone, a polyethersulfone, a polycarbonate, apolyacrylate, an acrylate copolymer, a polyurethane, a polyamide, apolyvinyl chloride, a polyfluorocarbonate, a polytetrafluoroethylene, apolyvinylidene difluoride, a polyethylene-tetrafluoroethylene copolymersalt, a polybenzimidazole, a polyethylene-chlorotrifluoroethylenecopolymer salt, a polyimide, a polyphenylene sulfide, cellulose, acellulose mixed ester, a nitrocellulose, an acetylcellulose, apolyacrylonitrile, a polyacrylonitrile copolymer, a polypropylene, and apolyester.

Examples of the organic materials having the hydroxyl groups for theformation of the porous film include surface saponification products ofacetylcelluloses described in, for example, U.S. patent laid-open No.20030170664. The acetylcellulose may be monoacetylcellulose,diacetylcellulose, or triacetylcellulose. Among the above-enumeratedacetylcelluloses, the triacetylcellulose is particularly preferable. Insuch cases, the quantity (the density) of the hydroxyl group in a solidphase surface is capable of being adjusted with the degree of thesaponification processing (i.e., the saponification degree). In orderfor the efficiency with which the nucleic acid is separated to beenhanced, the quantity of the hydroxyl group should preferably be aslarge as possible (i.e., the density of the hydroxyl group shouldpreferably be as high as possible). For example, in the cases of theacetylcellulose, such as the triacetylcellulose, the saponificationdegree should preferably be at least approximately 5%, and should morepreferably be at least approximately 10%. Also, such that the surfacearea of the porous film may be set to be large, the porous film of theacetyl cellulose is subjected to the saponification processing. By thecombination of the degree of the saponification processing (thesaponification degree) of the porous film and the pore diameter of theporous film, the spatial quantity (the density) of the hydroxyl group iscapable of being adjusted. In such cases, the porous film may be aporous film, in which a front surface side and a back surface side aresymmetric with respect to each other. However, the porous film shouldpreferably be a porous film, in which the front surface side and theback surface side are asymmetric with respect to each other.

Examples of the organic materials having the hydroxyl groups for theformation of the porous film also include a polyhydroxyethylacrylicacid, a polyhydroxyethylmethacrylic acid, a polyvinyl alcohol, apolyvinyl pyrrolidone, a polyacrylic acid, a polymethacrylic acid, apolyoxyethylene, an acetyl cellulose, and a mixture of acetylcelluloseshaving different acetyl values. A porous film of an organic materialhaving a polysaccharide structure is capable of being used preferably.In particular, a porous film of an organic high-molecular weightmaterial constituted of a mixture of acetylcelluloses having differentacetyl values is capable of being used preferably. In such cases, themixture of acetylcelluloses having different acetyl values shouldpreferably be a mixture of triacetylcellulose and diacetylcellulose, amixture of triacetylcellulose and monoacetylcellulose, a mixture oftriacetylcellulose, diacetylcellulose, and monoacetylcellulose, or amixture of diacetylcellulose and monoacetylcellulose.

Also, the filter member 11 b may be a porous film constituted of anorganic material, which is obtained from saponification processing of amixture of acetylcelluloses having different acetyl values. In suchcases, for example, the porous film should preferably be constituted ofa saponification product of the mixture of triacetylcellulose anddiacetylcellulose, the mixture of triacetylcellulose andmonoacetylcellulose, the mixture of triacetylcellulose,diacetylcellulose, and monoacetylcellulose, or the mixture ofdiacetylcellulose and monoacetylcellulose. With the saponificationprocessing, the acetylcellulose is brought into contact with asaponification processing liquid (e.g., sodium hydroxide). In suchcases, the hydroxyl groups are introduced into the site of theacetylcellulose, which site has been brought into contact with thesaponification processing liquid, and a regenerated cellulose is formedat the site of the acetylcellulose. In order for the efficiency withwhich the nucleic acid is separated is to be enhanced, the number of thehydroxyl groups introduced into the aforesaid site of theacetylcellulose should preferably be as large as possible. For example,the saponification degree should preferably be at least approximately5%, and should more preferably be at least approximately 10%. In orderfor the saponification degree to be altered, the concentration of sodiumhydroxide in the saponification processing may be altered.

Further, the filter member 11 b may be a porous film constituted of aregenerated cellulose. The regenerated cellulose is obtained from aprocess, in which the surface of the solid of the acetylcellulose or theentire region of the solid of the acetylcellulose is converted intocellulose with the saponification processing. The characteristics, suchas the crystal condition, of the regenerated cellulose are differentfrom those of the natural cellulose.

Furthermore, the filter member 11 b may be a porous film constituted ofan inorganic material having a hydrophilic group. In such cases, theporous film may be a porous film containing a silica compound, e.g. aglass filter. The porous film may also be a porous thin silica filmdescribed in, for example, Japanese Patent No. 3058342. The porous thinsilica film is capable of being prepared with a process, wherein aspreading liquid of a cationic amphiphilic substance having capabilityof forming a bilayer membrane is spread on a base plate, a solvent isremoved from the liquid film having been spread on the base plate, athin bilayer membrane of the amphiphilic substance is thus prepared, thethus prepared thin bilayer membrane of the amphiphilic substance is thenbrought into contact with a solution containing a silica compound, andthereafter the thin bilayer membrane is extracted and removed.

The thickness of the porous film constituting the filter member 11 b mayfall within the range of 10 μm to 500 μm, and should preferably fallwithin the range of 50 μm to 250 μm. Also, the porous film constitutingthe filter member 11 b may have a minimum pore diameter of at least 0.22μm, and should preferably have a minimum pore diameter of at least 0.5μm. Further, the ratio of the maximum pore diameter to the minimum porediameter in the porous film constituting the filter member 11 b may beat least 2, and should preferably be at least 5. Furthermore, theporosity of the porous film constituting the filter member 11 b may fallwithin the range of 50% to 95%, and should preferably fall within therange of 65% to 80%.

Only one sheet of the filter member 11 b may be used. Alternatively, aplurality of sheets of the filter members 11 b, 11 b, . . . may beutilized. In cases where the plurality of sheets of the filter members11 b, 11 b, . . . are utilized, the plurality of the filter members 11b, 11 b, . . . may be of an identical type. Alternatively, the pluralityof the filter members 11 b, 11 b, . . . may be of different types. Also,the plurality of the filter members 11 b, 11 b, . . . may be constitutedof a combination of a filter member 11 b of an inorganic material and afilter member 11 b of an organic material. For example, the plurality ofthe filter members 11 b, 11 b, . . . may be constituted of a combinationof a glass filter and a porous film of a regenerated cellulose.Alternatively, the plurality of the filter members 11 b, 11 b, . . . maybe constituted of a combination of a filter member 11 b of an inorganicmaterial and a nucleic acid-nonadsorbing porous film of an organicmaterial. For example, the plurality of the filter members 11 b, 11 b, .. . may be constituted of a combination of a glass filter and a porousfilm of a nylon or a polysulfone.

The aforesaid sample liquid S containing the nucleic acid is preparedwith a process, wherein a liquid in which the nucleic acid has beendispersed is prepared with the dissolution processing of a sample, whichcontains a cell or a virus, and a water-soluble organic solvent is addedto the liquid in which the nucleic acid has been dispersed. For example,in the cases of diagnostic fields, the sample liquid S containing thenucleic acid may be a liquid having been prepared from an organismmaterial, such as a humor having been taken as a sample (e.g., wholeblood, blood plasma, blood serum, urine, feces, semen, or saliva); aplant (or part of a plant); an animal (or part of an animal). Also, thesample liquid S containing the nucleic acid may be a liquid having beenprepared from a dissolution product or a homogenate of one of theabove-enumerated organism materials. With the dissolution processing, asample is processed with an aqueous solution containing a reagent fordissolving a cell membrane and a nuclear membrane and solubilizing thenucleic acid. (The reagent is a solution containing, for example, aguanidine salt, a surface active agent, and a proteolytic enzyme.) Forexample, in cases where the sample is whole blood, red blood corpusclesand various proteins are decomposed and converted into low-molecularweight substances in order for nonspecific adsorption to the filtermember 11 b and clogging of the filter member 11 b to be prevented fromoccurring, and dissolution of white blood corpuscles and a nuclearmembrane is performed such that the nucleic acid to be extracted may besolubilized. Examples of the water-soluble organic solvents includeethanol, isopropanol, and propanol. Among the above-enumeratedwater-soluble organic solvents, ethanol is preferable. The concentrationof the water-soluble organic solvent should preferably fall within therange of 5% by weight to 90% by weight, and should more preferably fallwithin the range of 20% by weight to 60% by weight. The concentration ofethanol added should particularly preferably be as high as possible,provided that an agglomerate does not occur.

The washing liquid W has the functions of washing off impuritiescontained in the sample liquid, which impurities have clung to thefilter member 11 b together with the nucleic acid. The washing liquid Whas a composition such that the washing liquid W does not cause thenucleic acid to be separated from the filter member 11 b and causes theimpurities to be separated from the filter member 11 b. The washingliquid W is constituted of a solution containing a principal agent and abuffer agent. When necessary, the solution constituting the washingliquid W may also contain a surface active agent. Examples of theprincipal agents include aqueous solutions of methanol, ethanol,isopropanol, n-isopropanol, butanol, and acetone. The concentration ofthe aqueous solution acting as the principal agent may fall within therange of approximately 10 by weight to approximately 100% by weight. Theconcentration of the aqueous solution acting as the principal agentshould preferably fall within the range of approximately 20% by weightto approximately 100% by weight, and should more preferably fall withinthe range of approximately 40% by weight to approximately 80% by weight.

The recovery liquid R should preferably have a low salt concentration.In particular, the recovery liquid R should preferably be constituted ofa solution having a salt concentration of at most 0.5M. For example,purified distilled water, a TE buffer, or the like, may be used as therecovery liquid R. The pH value of the recovery liquid R shouldpreferably fall within the range of pH2 to pH11, and should morepreferably fall within the range of pH5 to pH9.

As illustrated in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the nucleic acid extractingapparatus 1 comprises a loading mechanism 3, a pressurized air supplyingmechanism 4, and a liquid injecting mechanism 5, which are located on anapparatus main body 2. The loading mechanism 3 holds a plurality ofextracting cartridges 11, 11, . . . , the plurality of the waste liquidvessels 12, 12, . . . , and the plurality of the recovery vessels 13,13, . . . The pressurized air supplying mechanism 4 introduces thepressurized air into each of the extracting cartridges 11, 11, . . . Theliquid injecting mechanism 5 injects the washing liquid W into each ofthe extracting cartridges 11, 11, . . . The liquid injecting mechanism 5also injects the recovery liquid R into each of the extractingcartridges 11, 11, . . . The loading mechanism 3, the pressurized airsupplying mechanism 4, and the liquid injecting mechanism 5 willhereinbelow be described in more detail.

<Loading Mechanism>

The loading mechanism 3 comprises a loading base 21, which is located ona front lower part of the apparatus main body 2. A rack 6, which holdsthe plurality of the extracting cartridges 11, 11, . . . , the pluralityof the waste liquid vessels 12, 12, . . . , and the plurality of therecovery vessels 13, 13, . . . , is located on the loading base 21. Asillustrated also in FIG. 3, the rack 6 comprises a stand 61, a cartridgeholder 62, and a vessel holder 63.

The stand 61 is provided with pillar-shaped sections 61 a, 61 a, whichare spaced apart from each other. The pillar-shaped sections 61 a, 61 aof the stand 61 hold the cartridge holder 62 such that the cartridgeholder 62 is capable of moving vertically. The stand 61 is also providedwith a bottom plate 61 b, on which the pillar-shaped sections 61 a, 61 aare supported. The region of the bottom plate 61 b, which region islocated between the pillar-shaped sections 61 a, 61 a, holds the vesselholder 63 such that the vessel holder 63 is capable of undergoingforward and backward movements.

The cartridge holder 62 has a two-part structure, which is formed withjoining of a front plate material and a rear plate material. Thecartridge holder 62 comprises a holding section 62 a, which extendshorizontally, and support legs 62 b, 62 b, which extend vertically fromopposite end regions of the holding section 62 a. Each of the supportlegs 62 b, 62 b of the cartridge holder 62 is inserted for verticalmovement into one of vertically extending sliding grooves 61 c, 61 c ofthe pillar-shaped sections 61 a, 61 a of the stand 61. The support legs62 b, 62 b of the cartridge holder 62 are urged upwardly by urgingmembers (not shown), which are incorporated in the stand 61. The holdingsection 62 a of the cartridge holder 62 has a plurality of holding holes62 c, 62 c, . . . , which stand side by side with one another. Each ofthe extracting cartridges 11, 11, . . . is inserted from above into oneof the holding holes 62 c, 62 c, . . . of the cartridge holder 62, andlower ends of the protrusions 11 d, 11 d (illustrated in FIG. 6), whichare formed on the opposite sides of the side wall of the tubular mainbody 11 a of the extracting cartridge 11, are engaged with engagementmembers (not shown) located in the cartridge holder 62 and are held bythe engagement members. The engagement members located in the cartridgeholder 62 are capable of being moved. At the time at which theengagement members located in the cartridge holder 62 are moved, theengagement members release the engagement with the protrusions 11 d, 11d of each of the extracting cartridges 11, 11, . . . As a result, all ofthe extracting cartridges 11, 11, . . . are simultaneously allowed tofall down from the cartridge holder 62 and are thus scrapped.

The cartridge holder 62 also has pin receiving holes 62 d, 62 d, whichare formed at opposite areas of the top surface of the cartridge holder62. In the state in which the extracting cartridges 11, 11, . . . are tobe used for the extraction of the nucleic acid, each of bottom ends 49a, 49 a of push pins 49, 49 (illustrated in FIG. 1), which act as theposition adjusting means as will be described later, engages with one ofthe pin receiving holes 62 d, 62 d of the cartridge holder 62 and pushesdown the cartridge holder 62. As illustrated in FIG. 3, in the state inwhich the cartridge holder 62 is located at the raised position, thedischarging bottom end 11 c of each of the extracting cartridges 11, 11,. . . having been held by the cartridge holder 62 is located at theposition more upward than the waste liquid vessels 12, 12, . . . and therecovery vessels 13, 13, . . . having been set on the vessel holder 63.As illustrated in FIG. 4, in the state in which the cartridge holder 62has been pushed down by the push pins 49, 49 acting as the positionadjusting means, the discharging bottom end 11 c of each of theextracting cartridges 11, 11, . . . having been held by the cartridgeholder 62 is inserted by a predetermined length into the correspondingone of the waste liquid vessels 12, 12, . . . , which have been set onthe vessel holder 63, or the corresponding one of the recovery vessels13, 13, . . . , which have been set on the vessel holder 63 so thatscattering from the discharging bottom end 11 c of each of theextracting cartridges 11 can be prevented.

The vessel holder 63 is provided with a plurality of waste liquid vesselholding holes 63 a, 63 a, . . . , which stand side by side in a rowextending horizontally, and a plurality of recovery vessel holding holes63 b, 63 b, . . . , which stand side by side in a row extendinghorizontally. The row of the waste liquid vessel holding holes 63 a, 63a, . . . and the row of the recovery vessel holding holes 63 b, 63 b, .. . are parallel with each other. The plurality of the waste liquidvessels 12, 12, . . . are held in a row within the waste liquid vesselholding holes 63 a, 63 a, . . . , respectively, which are located on therear side. Also, the plurality of the recovery vessels 13, 13, . . . areheld in a row within the recovery vessel holding holes 63 b, 63 b, . . ., respectively, which are located on the front side. The waste liquidvessel holding holes 63 a, 63 a, . . . are located at the pitchesidentical with the pitches of the holding holes 62 c, 62 c, . . . of thecartridge holder 62 and at the positions corresponding to the positionsof the holding holes 62 c, 62 c, . . . of the cartridge holder 62. Also,the recovery vessel holding holes 63 b, 63 b, . . . are located at thepitches identical with the pitches of the holding holes 62 c, 62 c, . .. of the cartridge holder 62 and at the positions corresponding to thepositions of the holding holes 62 c, 62 c, . . . of the cartridge holder62. The vessel holder 63 is thus set such that each of the waste liquidvessels 12, 12, . . . or each of the recovery vessels 13, 13, . . . islocated under one of the extracting cartridges 11, 11, . . . having beenheld by the cartridge holder 62. Such that the waste liquid vessels 12,12, . . . and the recovery vessels 13, 13, . . . may be discriminatedfrom each other, the sizes, the shapes, or the like, of the waste liquidvessels 12, 12, . . . should preferably be different from the sizes, theshapes, or the like, of the recovery vessels 13, 13, . . .

The vessel holder 63 is urged toward the front side by urging members(not shown), which are incorporated in the stand 61. The movements(i.e., the forward and backward movements) of the vessel holder 63 forthe vessel changeover are performed with an actuating member 31(illustrated in FIG. 2) of the loading base 21. Specifically, theactuating member 31 of the loading base 21 passes through an openingformed in the bottom plate 61 b of the stand 61 and engages with anengagement hole (not shown) of the bottom part of the vessel holder 63.Also, the actuating member 31 is moved by a vessel changeover motor (aDC motor) 32 in order to move the vessel holder 63 backwardly. Therecovery vessels 13, 13, . . . are thus located at the position underthe cartridge holder 62. In the state in which the actuating member 31is not operated, the vessel holder 63 is urged toward the front side bythe urging members (not shown), which are incorporated in the stand 61,such that the waste liquid vessels 12, 12, . . . are located at theposition under the cartridge holder 62. The vessel changeover motor 32is controlled in accordance with results of detection made by positionsensors 33 a and 33 b (illustrated in FIG. 2).

The waste liquid vessel holding holes 63 a, 63 a, . . . and the recoveryvessel holding holes 63 b, 63 b, . . . are constituted of bottomedholes. Therefore, in cases where a liquid drops into the waste liquidvessel holding holes 63 a, 63 a, . . . or the recovery vessel holdingholes 63 b, 63 b, . . . in the state in which the waste liquid vessels12, 12, . . . have not been set in the waste liquid vessel holding holes63 a, 63 a, . . . or in which the recovery vessels 13, 13, . . . havenot been set in the recovery vessel holding holes 63 b, 63 b, . . . ,the problems are capable of being prevented from occurring in that theliquid flows out to the exterior and contaminates the exteriorequipment.

<Pressurized Air Supplying Mechanism>

As illustrated in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the pressurized air supplyingmechanism 4 comprises a pressurizing head 40, which is capable of movingvertically with respect to the rack 6 of the loading mechanism 3. Thepressurized air supplying mechanism 4 also comprises a plurality of (inthis example, eight) air nozzles 41, 41, . . . , which are fitted to thepressurizing head 40 and located in a row. The pressurized air supplyingmechanism 4 further comprises an air pump 43 for producing thepressurized air. The pressurized air supplying mechanism 4 still furthercomprises a relief valve 44 (illustrated in FIG. 2). The pressurized airsupplying mechanism 4 also comprises a plurality of on-off valves 45,45, . . . , which are connected respectively to the air nozzles 41, 41,. . . and which are turned on and off independently. The pressurized airsupplying mechanism 4 further comprises a plurality of pressure sensors46, 46, . . . , which are respectively associated with the air nozzles41, 41, . . . The pressurized air supplying mechanism 4 successivelysupplies the pressurized air into the extracting cartridges 11, 11, . ..

The pressurizing head 40 is held for vertical movement by guide rods 24,24, which extend vertically between an intermediate frame 22 and a topframe 23 of the apparatus main body 2. Also, a ball nut 40 a secured tothe pressurizing head 40 is engaged with a ball screw 25, which extendsvertically between the intermediate frame 22 and the top frame 23 of theapparatus main body 2. The ball screw 25 is rotated by a verticalmovement motor (a pulse motor) 47 (illustrated in FIG. 2) via a timingbelt and a pulley. In accordance with the rotation of the ball screw 25,the pressurizing head 40 is moved vertically. The pressurizing head 40is moved by being controlled in accordance with the results of detectionof photo sensors 48 a, 48 b, and 48 c (illustrated in FIG. 2). Thepressurizing head 40 is also provided with the push pins 49, 49, whichare located on opposite sides of the pressurizing head 40 and act as theposition adjusting means. Each of the push pins 49, 49 is urged by aspring 49 b downwardly and is capable of moving vertically. Each of thebottom ends 49 a, 49 a of the push pins 49, 49 engages with one of thepin receiving holes 62 d, 62 d, which are formed in the top surface ofthe cartridge holder 62. The push pins 49, 49 thus adjust the positionof the cartridge holder 62 and push down the cartridge holder 62.

The push pins 49, 49 of the pressurizing head 40 are located so as topush the front side positions on the cartridge holder 62, such that thepush pins 49, 49 do not interfere with horizontal movements of a washingliquid injecting nozzle 51 w and a recovery liquid injecting nozzle 51r, which will be described later, in the state in which the push pins49, 49 push down the cartridge holder 62.

The air nozzles 41, 41, . . . are fitted for vertical movement to thepressurizing head 40 and are urged downwardly. Also, a sheet-shapedsealing material 42 is located under the air nozzles 41, 41, . . . Thesealing material 42 has a plurality of communication holes 42 a, 42 a, .. . (illustrated in FIG. 2), each of which corresponds to one of the airnozzles 41, 41, . . . At the time at which the pressurizing head 40 ismoved down, the bottom end of each of the air nozzles 41, 41, . . .pushes the sealing material 42 against the top end opening of thecorresponding extracting cartridge 11 having been set on the cartridgeholder 62 and thus closes the top end opening of the correspondingextracting cartridge 11. Each of the air nozzles 41, 41, . . . is thuscapable of supply the pressurized air through the communication hole 42a into the extracting cartridge 11.

In cases where the pressurized air contained in the pressurized air pathbetween the air pump 43 and the on-off valves 45, 45, . . . is to bedischarged from the pressurized air path, the relief valve 44 is openedto the ambient atmosphere. The pressurized air circuit is constitutedsuch that each of the on-off valves 45, 45, . . . is turned onselectively in order to introduce the pressurized air from the air pump43 via the corresponding air nozzle 41 into the corresponding extractingcartridge 11. Each of the pressure sensors 46, 46, . . . is associatedwith one of the air nozzles 41, 41, . . . and detects the internalpressure of the corresponding extracting cartridge 11. At the time atwhich the detected internal pressure of the extracting cartridge 11becomes a predetermined pressure range (for example, 50-200 kPa, andpreferably, 80-120 kPa), the corresponding on-off valve 45 is turnedoff, and the supply of the pressurized air into the extracting cartridge11 is ceased. Also, in cases where the detected internal pressure of theextracting cartridge 11 becomes lower than the predetermined value, itis judged that a liquid discharging operation for the extractingcartridge 11 has been completed.

In the descriptions of the embodiments, the air pump is a diaphragmpump. However, other kinds of pumps such as a plunger pump and a syringpump, which can function as a pressurized air source, may be used as theair pump.

<Liquid Injecting Mechanism>

The liquid injecting mechanism 5 comprises the washing liquid injectingnozzle 51 w and the recovery liquid injecting nozzle 51 r, which aresecured to a nozzle moving base 50 capable of moving horizontally. Theliquid injecting mechanism 5 also comprises a washing liquid supplyingpump 52 w (illustrated in FIG. 2) for supplying the washing liquid W,which has been accommodated in a washing liquid bottle 56 w, into thewashing liquid injecting nozzle 51 w. The liquid injecting mechanism 5further comprises a recovery liquid supplying pump 52 r (illustrated inFIG. 2) for supplying the recovery liquid R, which has been accommodatedin a recovery liquid bottle 56 r, into the recovery liquid injectingnozzle 51 r. The liquid injecting mechanism 5 still further comprises awaste liquid bottle 57, which is located on the loading base 21.

The nozzle moving base 50 is held for horizontal movement by a guiderail 27, which extends horizontally and is secured to a vertical wall 26of the apparatus main body 2. The horizontal movement of the nozzlemoving base 50 is ceased successively above the extracting cartridges11, 11, . . . by a nozzle moving motor (not shown) constituted of apulse motor. In a state of restoration of the nozzle moving base 50, thenozzle moving base 50 is stopped at the position above the waste liquidbottle 57. An end of the washing liquid injecting nozzle 51 w and an endof the recovery liquid injecting nozzle 51 r are bent downwardly. Thewashing liquid injecting nozzle 51 w is connected to the washing liquidsupplying pump 52 w via a changeover valve 55 w (illustrated in FIG. 2).The washing liquid supplying pump 52 w is connected to the washingliquid bottle 56 w via the changeover valve 55 w. Also, the recoveryliquid injecting nozzle 51 r is connected to the recovery liquidsupplying pump 52 r via a changeover valve 55 r. The recovery liquidsupplying pump 52 r is connected to the recovery liquid bottle 56 r viathe changeover valve 55 r. The washing liquid bottle 56 w and therecovery liquid bottle 56 r are fitted to a side of the apparatus mainbody 2. Each of the washing liquid supplying pump 52 w and the recoveryliquid supplying pump 52 r is constituted of a syringe pump. A pistonmember of the washing liquid supplying pump 52 w is actuated by a pumpmotor 53 w (illustrated in FIG. 2), which is constituted of a pulsemotor, and in accordance with a result of a position detection made by asensor 54 w in order to inject a predetermined quantity of the washingliquid W. Also, a piston member of the recovery liquid supplying pump 52r is actuated by a pump motor 53 r (illustrated in FIG. 2), which isconstituted of a pulse motor, and in accordance with a result of aposition detection made by a sensor 54 r in order to inject apredetermined quantity of the recovery liquid R.

Specifically, in cases where the washing liquid W is to be injected, thechangeover valve 55 w is changed over to the side for the washing liquidbottle 56 w. Also, the pump motor 53 w is actuated in order to retreatthe piston member of the washing liquid supplying pump 52 w, and thewashing liquid W is thus sucked into the washing liquid supplying pump52 w. Thereafter, the changeover valve 55 w is changed over to the sidefor the washing liquid injecting nozzle 51 w. Also, the pump motor 53 wis actuated in order to advance the piston member of the washing liquidsupplying pump 52 w, and the washing liquid W is thus discharged fromthe washing liquid injecting nozzle 51 w into the waste liquid bottle 57until air contained in the washing liquid path has been discharged. Theactuation of the washing liquid supplying pump 52 w is then ceased.Thereafter, the washing liquid injecting nozzle 51 w is moved to theposition above one of the extracting cartridges 11, 11, . . . Theactuation quantity of the washing liquid supplying pump 52 w is thencontrolled, and the predetermined quantity of the washing liquid W isinjected into the extracting cartridge 11.

In cases where the recovery liquid R is to be injected, the changeovervalve 55 r is changed over to the side for the recovery liquid bottle 56r. Also, the pump motor 53 r is actuated in order to retreat the pistonmember of the recovery liquid supplying pump 52 r, and the recoveryliquid R is thus sucked into the recovery liquid supplying pump 52 r.Thereafter, the changeover valve 55 r is changed over to the side forthe recovery liquid injecting nozzle 51 r. Also, the pump motor 53 r isactuated in order to advance the piston member of the recovery liquidsupplying pump 52 r, and the recovery liquid R is thus discharged fromthe recovery liquid injecting nozzle 51 r into the waste liquid bottle57 until air contained in the recovery liquid path has been discharged.The actuation of the recovery liquid supplying pump 52 r is then ceased.Thereafter, the recovery liquid injecting nozzle 51 r is moved to theposition above one of the extracting cartridges 11, 11, . . . Theactuation quantity of the recovery liquid supplying pump 52 r is thencontrolled, and the predetermined quantity of the recovery liquid R isinjected into the extracting cartridge 11.

The washing liquid bottle 56 w comprises a vessel main body 56 wb and acap 56 wu. A thin pipe-shaped suction tube 58 w is fitted into the cap56 wu so as to extend within the vessel main body 56 wb, and a bottomend of the suction tube 58 w is open at a position in the vicinity of abottom of the vessel main body 56 wb. In accordance with the operationof the washing liquid supplying pump 52 w, the washing liquid W issucked from the vessel main body 56 wb through the suction tube 58 w.Further, the cap 56 wu is provided with a pipe or an opening (notshown), through which air is introduced into the vessel main body 56 wbin accordance with the suction of the washing liquid W from the vesselmain body 56 wb.

The recovery liquid bottle 56 r comprises a vessel main body 56 rb and acap 56 ru. A thin pipe-shaped suction tube 58 r is fitted into the cap56 ru so as to extend within the vessel main body 56 rb, and a bottomend of the suction tube 58 r is open at a position in the vicinity of abottom of the vessel main body 56 rb. In accordance with the operationof the recovery liquid supplying pump 52 r, the recovery liquid R issucked from the vessel main body 56 rb through the suction tube 58 r.Further, the cap 56 ru is provided with a pipe or an opening (notshown), through which air is introduced into the vessel main body 56 rbin accordance with the suction of the recovery liquid R from the vesselmain body 56 rb.

The quantity of the washing liquid W used is larger than the quantity ofthe recovery liquid R used. Therefore, the vessel main body 56 wb of thewashing liquid bottle 56 w has a height larger than the height of thevessel main body 56 rb of the recovery liquid bottle 56 r. Also, thesuction tube 58 w for the washing liquid W has a length larger than thelength of the suction tube 58 r for the recovery liquid R. The diameterof a threaded mouth section of the vessel main body 56 wb of the washingliquid bottle 56 w is identical with the diameter of a threaded mouthsection of the vessel main body 56 rb of the recovery liquid bottle 56r.

The washing liquid bottle 56 w is fitted to the apparatus main body 2 inthe manner described below. Specifically, the cap 56 wu, to which thesuction tube 58 w has been secured, is fitted by a fixture 28 to theintermediate frame 22 of the apparatus main body 2. Also, the vesselmain body 56 wb is engaged by threads with the cap 56 wu from below thecap 56 wu, while the suction tube 58 w is being inserted into the mouthsection of the vessel main body 56 wb. Since the washing liquid bottle56 w is thus fitted to the apparatus main body 2, the problems arecapable of being prevented from occurring in that, in cases where thecap 56 wu provided with the suction tube 58 w is disengaged from thevessel main body 56 wb at the time of replenishment of the washingliquid W into the vessel main body 56 wb and is placed upon a table, orthe like, a foreign substance clings to the end of the suction tube 58 whaving been fitted to the cap 56 wu and mixes into the washing liquid W.

Also, the recovery liquid bottle 56 r is fitted to the apparatus mainbody 2 in the manner described below. Specifically, the cap 56 ru, towhich the suction tube 58 r has been secured, is fitted by a fixture 28to the intermediate frame 22 of the apparatus main body 2. Also, thevessel main body 56 rb is engaged by threads with the cap 56 ru frombelow the cap 56 ru, while the suction tube 58 r is being inserted intothe mouth section of the vessel main body 56 rb. Since the recoveryliquid bottle 56 r is thus fitted to the apparatus main body 2, theproblems are capable of being prevented from occurring in that, in caseswhere the cap 56 ru provided with the suction tube 58 r is disengagedfrom the vessel main body 56 rb at the time of replenishment of therecovery liquid R into the vessel main body 56 rb and is placed upon atable, or the like, a foreign substance clings to the end of the suctiontube 58 r having been fitted to the cap 56 ru and mixes into therecovery liquid R.

In particular, as for the washing liquid bottle 56 w having the largevessel height, a distance H between the bottom end of the suction tube58 w at the time of the disengagement of the 56 wb from the cap 56 wuand the table surface, which is located below the bottom end of thesuction tube 58 w and which supports the apparatus main body 2, is setto be larger than the height h of the vessel main body 56 wb.Specifically, it is necessary that the height position at which the cap56 wu is located with the fixture 28 be set at a position higher thanthe table surface by at least approximately two times the height h ofthe vessel main body 56 wb. In cases where the washing liquid bottle 56w is thus set, replacement of the vessel main body 56 wb and the liquidreplenishing operation are capable of being performed easily, while thecap 56 wu provided with the suction tube 58 w is being secured. Therecovery liquid bottle 56 r is set basically in the same manner as thatdescribed above.

The loading mechanism 3, the pressurized air supplying mechanism 4, andthe liquid injecting mechanism 5 described above are controlled inaccordance with an input operation performed from an operation panel 7located at the top of the apparatus main body 2 and in accordance with aprogram incorporated within a control unit (not shown).

The extracting operation performed with the nucleic acid extractingapparatus 1 described above will hereinbelow be described in detail.

Firstly, the extracting cartridges 11, 11, . . . are set in thecartridge holder 62 of the rack 6 of the loading mechanism 3. Also, thewaste liquid vessels 12, 12, . . . and the recovery vessels 13, 13, . .. are set in the vessel holder 63 of the rack 6 of the loading mechanism3. The rack 6 is then located on the loading base 21 of the apparatusmain body 2. Thereafter, the sample liquid S, which has been subjectedto the dissolution processing, is introduced with a pipette, or thelike, successively into each of the extracting cartridges 11, 11, . . .Alternatively, before the rack 6 is loaded on the nucleic acidextracting apparatus 1, the sample liquid S may be introduced into eachof the extracting cartridges 11, 11, . . . having been set in the rack6. As another alternative, before the extracting cartridges 11, 11, . .. are set in the rack 6, the sample liquid S may be introduced into eachof the extracting cartridges 11, 11, . . .

Thereafter, the nucleic acid extracting apparatus 1 is actuated with anoperation from the operation panel 7. The pressurizing head 40 of thepressurized air supplying mechanism 4 is moved downwardly by thevertical movement motor 47 of the pressurized air supplying mechanism 4,and the bottom ends 49 a, 49 a of the push pins 49, 49 engage with thepin receiving holes 62 d, 62 d of the cartridge holder 62. The push pins49, 49 thus push down the cartridge holder 62 and adjust the position ofthe cartridge holder 62. Also, as illustrated in FIG. 4, a scatteringprevention means, wherein the push pins 49, 49 cause the dischargingbottom end 11 c of each of the extracting cartridges 11, 11, . . . to beinserted by the predetermined length into the corresponding waste liquidvessel 12, is provided such that the liquid discharged from theextracting cartridge 11 may not leak to the exterior due to scattering,or the like, and may not cause the problems with regard to contaminationto occur. The pressurizing head 40 is moved downwardly even further. Asa result, the bottom end of each of the air nozzles 41, 41, . . . pushesthe sealing material 42 against the top end opening of the correspondingextracting cartridge 11 and thus closes the top end opening of thecorresponding extracting cartridge 11. Since the push pins 49, 49 adjustthe position of the cartridge holder 62, each of the air nozzles 41, 41,. . . is capable of accurately coming into close contact with the topend opening of the corresponding extracting cartridge 11 and is thuscapable of reliably closing the top end opening of the correspondingextracting cartridge 11.

Thereafter, the operation for supplying the pressurized air isperformed. Specifically, the air pump 43 is actuated in the state inwhich all of the on-off valves 45, 45, . . . are turned off. Also,firstly, a first on-off valve 45 is turned on. As a result, thepressurized air is supplied from the air pump 43 through a first airnozzle 41 into a first extracting cartridge 11. At the time at which thepressure sensor 46 associated with the first air nozzle 41 detects thatthe pressure within the first extracting cartridge 11 has reached thepredetermined pressure, the first on-off valve 45 is turned off. Asecond on-off valve 45 is then turned on, and the pressurized air issupplied from the air pump 43 through a second air nozzle 41 into asecond extracting cartridge 11. The operation described above isiterated successively for the extracting cartridges 11, 11, . . . , andthe areas within all of the extracting cartridges 11, 11, . . . are thuspressurized. When the sample liquid S is thus subjected to the pressure,the sample liquid S is caused to pass through the filter member 11 b ofeach of the extracting cartridges 11, 11, . . . , and the nucleic acidcontained in the sample liquid S is adsorbed to the filter member 11 b.Other liquid constituents of the sample liquid S are discharged throughthe discharging bottom end 11 c of the extracting cartridge 11 into thecorresponding waste liquid vessel 12. At the time at which all sampleliquid S having been introduced into the extracting cartridge 11 haspassed through the filter member 11 b of the extracting cartridge 11,the pressure within the extracting cartridge 11 decreases to a levellower than a liquid discharging completion pressure. When the pressuresensors 46, 46, . . . detect that the extracting operation has beenfinished for all of the extracting cartridges 11, 11, . . . , thepressurizing head 40 is moved upwardly.

Thereafter, the washing processing is performed. Specifically, after thesupply of the pressurized air, the pressurizing head 40 is movedupwardly as described above, and the air nozzles 41, 41, . . . move awayfrom the extracting cartridges 11, 11, . . . When the pressurizing head40 has been moved up to a height position at which the pressurizing head40 allows the horizontal movement of the nozzle moving base 50, theupward movement of the pressurizing head 40 is ceased. The washingprocessing is performed in the state illustrated in FIG. 4, in which thepush pins 49, 49 push down the cartridge holder 62 and in which thedischarging bottom end 11 c of each of the extracting cartridges 11, 11,. . . has been inserted into the corresponding waste liquid vessel 12.More specifically, the nozzle moving base 50 is moved horizontally, andthe washing liquid injecting nozzle 51 w is stopped at the positionabove the first extracting cartridge 11. In this state, a predeterminedquantity of the washing liquid w is injected from the washing liquidinjecting nozzle 51 w into the first extracting cartridge 11. The nozzlemoving base 50 is then moved successively to the positions above theother extracting cartridges 11, 11, . . . , and the injection of thewashing liquid W from the washing liquid injecting nozzle 51 w into theextracting cartridges 11, 11, . . . is performed successively. When theinjection of the washing liquid W has been finished for all of theextracting cartridges 11, 11, . . . , the pressurizing head 40 is moveddownwardly, and the bottom end of each of the air nozzles 41, 41, . . .pushes the sealing material 42 against the top end opening of thecorresponding extracting cartridge 11 and thus closes the top endopening of the corresponding extracting cartridge 11. Thereafter, in thesame manner as that described above, the on-off valves 45, 45, . . . areturned on successively, and the pressurized air is supplied into theextracting cartridges 11, 11, . . . When the washing liquid W is thussubjected to the pressure, the washing liquid W is caused to passthrough the filter member 11 b of each of the extracting cartridges 11,11, . . . , and the impurities other than the nucleic acid are washedoff by the washing liquid W. The washing liquid W having passed throughthe filter member 11 b is discharged through the discharging bottom end11 c of the extracting cartridge 11 into the corresponding waste liquidvessel 12. At the time at which all washing liquid W contained in all ofthe extracting cartridges 11, 11, . . . has passed through the filtermembers 11 b, 11 b, . . . of the extracting cartridges 11, 11, . . . andhas thus been discharged from the extracting cartridges 11, 11, . . . ,the pressurizing head 40 is moved upwardly to the initial position. Incases where the washing processing is to be performed a plurality oftimes, the operation described above is iterated.

Thereafter, the recovery processing is performed. Specifically, firstly,in accordance with the upward movement of the pressurizing head 40performed after the washing processing, the push pins 49, 49 moveupwardly, and the cartridge holder 62 of the rack 6 also moves upwardly.The discharging bottom end 11 c of each of the extracting cartridges 11,11, . . . is thus moved upwardly from the corresponding waste liquidvessel 12. Thereafter, the actuating member 31 of the loading mechanism3 is operated in order to retreat the vessel holder 63. The recoveryvessels 13, 13, . . . are thus located under the extracting cartridges11, 11, . . . The vessel changeover is performed in this manner.

Thereafter, the pressurizing head 40 is moved downwardly, and the bottomends 49 a, 49 a of the push pins 49, 49 engage with the pin receivingholes 62 d, 62 d of the cartridge holder 62. The push pins 49, 49 thuspush down the cartridge holder 62 and keep the state in which thedischarging bottom end 11 c of each of the extracting cartridges 11, 11,. . . has been inserted by the predetermined length into thecorresponding recovery vessel 13. Also, the nozzle moving base 50 ismoved horizontally, and the recovery liquid injecting nozzle 51 r isstopped at the position above the first extracting cartridge 11. In thisstate, a predetermined quantity of the recovery liquid R is injectedfrom the recovery liquid injecting nozzle 51 r into the first extractingcartridge 11. The nozzle moving base 50 is then moved successively tothe positions above the other extracting cartridges 11, 11, . . . , andthe injection of the recovery liquid R from the recovery liquidinjecting nozzle 51 r into the extracting cartridges 11, 11, . . . isperformed successively. When the injection of the recovery liquid R hasbeen finished for all of the extracting cartridges 11, 11, . . . , thepressurizing head 40 is moved downwardly even further in the same manneras that described above, and the bottom end of each of the air nozzles41, 41, . . . pushes the sealing material 42 against the top end openingof the corresponding extracting cartridge 11 and thus closes the top endopening of the corresponding extracting cartridge 11. Thereafter, theon-off valves 45, 45, . . . are turned on successively, and thepressurized air is supplied into the extracting cartridges 11, 11, . . .When the recovery liquid R is thus subjected to the pressure, therecovery liquid R is caused to pass through the filter member 11 b ofeach of the extracting cartridges 11, 11, . . . , and the nucleic acidhaving been adsorbed to the filter member 11 b is separated by therecovery liquid R from the filter member 11 b. The nucleic acid havingthus been separated from the filter member 11 b is discharged togetherwith the recovery liquid R through the discharging bottom end 11 c ofthe extracting cartridge 11 into the corresponding recovery vessel 13.At the time at which all recovery liquid R contained in all of theextracting cartridges 11, 11, . . . has thus been discharged from theextracting cartridges 11, 11, . . . , the pressurizing head 40 is movedupwardly. At this stage, the series of the operations are finished.

The rack 6, for which the extracting operation has been finished, isunloaded from the loading base 21. Also, the extracting cartridges 11,11, . . . and the waste liquid vessels 12, 12, . . . are taken outrespectively from the cartridge holder 62 and the vessel holder 63 andscrapped. The recovery vessels 13, 13, . . . are taken out from thevessel holder 63. When necessary, the recovery vessels 13, 13, . . . areclosed with covers. Thereafter, the recovery vessels 13, 13, . . . aresubjected to next nucleic acid analyzing processing, or the like.

As described above, with the overlapping quantity between thedischarging bottom end 11 c of each of the extracting cartridges 11, 11,. . . and the corresponding waste liquid vessel 12 or the correspondingrecovery vessel 13, the scattering of the discharged liquid and theproblems with regard to contamination are prevented from occurring. Incases where the overlapping quantity described above is large, largeeffects of preventing the scattering of the discharged liquid arecapable of being obtained. However, if the overlapping quantitydescribed above is markedly large, the necessary movement distances ofthe cartridge holder 62 and the pressurizing head 40 will become long,and the nucleic acid extracting apparatus will not be capable of beingkept small in size.

In the embodiment described above, when the pressurized air is suppliedto the extracting cartridge 11 and the sample liquid S, the washingliquid W and the recovery liquid R are discharged to the waste liquidvessel 12 or the recovery vessel 13, the discharging bottom end 11 c isof the extracting cartridge 11 is inserted to the waste liquid vessel 12or the recovery vessel 13 by a predetermined length as a means forpreventing scattering of the discharged liquid from the dischargingbottom end 11 c of the extracting cartridge 11. However, other means asillustrated in FIGS. 7A-7D may be adopted.

FIG. 7A illustrates an example where a ring 15 for preventing scatteringis provided at an opening of the waste liquid vessel 12 or the recoveryvessel 13. The scattering of the discharged liquid can be prevented bycovering the opening by inserting the discharging bottom end 11 c of theextracting cartridge 11 to the inner hole of the ring 15.

FIG. 7B illustrates an example where a ring 16 for preventing scatteringis provided at the discharging bottom end 11 c of the extractingcartridge 11. The scattering of the discharged liquid can be preventedby covering the opening of the waste liquid vessel 12 or the recoveryvessel 13 with the ring 16.

FIG. 7C illustrates an example where a ring 17 for preventingscattering, which is in a shape of a cap, is provided at an opening ofthe waste liquid vessel 12 or the recovery vessel 13. The scattering ofthe discharged liquid can be prevented by covering the opening byinserting the discharging bottom end 11 c of the extracting cartridge 11to the inner hole of the ring 17.

FIG. 7D illustrates an example where a cylinder member 18 for preventingscattering is provided at the outer circumference of the dischargingbottom end 11 c of the extracting cartridge 11. The scattering of thedischarged liquid can be prevented by covering the outer circumferenceof the opening of the waste liquid vessel 12 or the recovery vessel 13with the cylinder member 18.

The aforementioned rings 15-17 and cylinder member 18 may be formedintegrally with the waste liquid vessel 12 or the recovery vessel 13.However, preferably, the rings and the cylinder member should be formedseparately from the waste liquid vessel 12 or the recovery vessel 13 ina detachable manner.

In the embodiment described above, the plurality of the extractingcartridges 11, 11, . . . are loaded. However, the nucleic acidextracting apparatus in accordance with the present invention is notlimited to the use of the plurality of the extracting cartridges 11, 11,. . . and is applicable also in cases where only one extractingcartridge 11 is used.

In the present embodiment, the washing processing is performed by theuse of the washing liquid W. However, the washing processing is notalways required depending on the filtering performance of the filtermember 11 b.

Further, in the embodiment as described above, the nucleic acidextracting apparatus is described. However, the present invention is notlimited to the nucleic acid extracting apparatus. The present inventionmay also be adopted to a method for filtering various kinds ofpredetermined substance through contact with the filter member. Further,it is not necessary to recover the recovery liquid. The predeterminedsubstance can be kept in contact with the filter member during analysis.A liquid for analyzing the reaction color may also be added.

1. An extracting apparatus for performing an extracting operation by useof at least one extracting cartridge provided with a filter member, theextracting operation comprising: injecting a sample liquid, whichcontains a predetermined substance, into the extracting cartridge, thepredetermined substance contained in the sample liquid being thusadsorbed to the filter member of the extracting cartridge, the apparatuscomprising: a pressurized air supplying means to supply pressurized airinto the at least one extracting cartridge; and a scattering preventionmeans to prevent scattering of a discharged liquid from a dischargebottom end of the extracting cartridge.
 2. An apparatus as defined inclaim 1 wherein, at the time at which the sample liquid is to beinjected into the at least one extracting cartridge, the at least oneextracting cartridge is located just above the at least one waste liquidvessel.
 3. An apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein the loadingmechanism comprises: a) a cartridge holder, which holds the at least oneextracting cartridge and is capable of moving vertically, and b) avessel holder, which holds the at least one waste liquid vessel and theat least one recovery vessel at positions below the cartridge holdersuch that the position of the at least one waste liquid vessel withrespect to the at least one extracting cartridge and the position of theat least one recovery vessel with respect to the at least one extractingcartridge are capable of being changed over, the pressurized airsupplying mechanism comprises: a) a pressurizing head for verticallymoving at least one air nozzle, which jets out pressurized air from abottom end, and b) push pins, which are fitted to the pressurizing headand are capable of coming into abutment with the cartridge holder of theloading mechanism, and the pressurized air supplying mechanism operatessuch that: at the time at which the pressurized air is to be suppliedinto the at least one extracting cartridge, the push pins come intoabutment with the cartridge holder of the loading mechanism inaccordance with a downward movement of the pressurizing head in order toregulate the position of the cartridge holder of the loading mechanismand in order to push the cartridge holder, and thereafter the at leastone air nozzle is pushed against the at least one extracting cartridge,which has been held by the cartridge holder.
 4. An apparatus as definedin claim 1 wherein the processing step concerning the injection of theliquid into the at least one extracting cartridge, which processing stepis performed after the adsorption processing of the sample liquid, isperformed while the discharging bottom end of the at least oneextracting cartridge is being kept in the state in which the dischargingbottom end of the at least one extracting cartridge is inserted into theat least one vessel.
 5. An apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein thepredetermined substance is a nucleic acid.
 6. An apparatus as defined inclaim 5 wherein the filter member of the at least one extractingcartridge is constituted of a porous film capable of adsorbing thenucleic acid with an interaction other than interactions in which anionic bond takes part.
 7. An apparatus as defined in claim 5 wherein thefilter member of the at least one extracting cartridge is constituted ofa porous film of an organic material having a hydroxyl group.
 8. Anapparatus as defined in claim 5 wherein the filter member of the atleast one extracting cartridge is constituted of a porous film of amixture of acetylcelluloses having different acetyl values.
 9. Anapparatus as defined in claim 5 wherein the filter member of the atleast one extracting cartridge is constituted of a porous film of aregenerated cellulose.
 10. An apparatus as defined in claim 5 whereinthe filter member of the at least one extracting cartridge isconstituted of a porous film of an organic material obtained fromsaponification of a mixture of acetylcelluloses having different acetylvalues.
 11. An apparatus as defined in claim 5 wherein the filter memberof the at least one extracting cartridge is constituted of a porous filmof an inorganic material containing a silica compound.
 12. An apparatusas defined in claim 5 wherein the filter member is a glass filter.